The Protein Man's Blog | A Discussion of Protein Research

Monoclonal antibodies are often marketed as being superior to polyclonal antibodies. While this might be the case in many applications, this is not necessarily always true. In order to understand what type of antibody is best suited for a particular application, one needs to understand how they are generated.

Isolating genomic and plasmid DNA for further investigation and downstream application (e.g. PCR, sequencing, etc.) requires totally different protocols. While isolating genomic DNA merely requires you to crack open the cell walls and purify the resulting sample, extracting plasmid DNA may be a bit trickier and more complicated than this. Here’s a rundown on how these techniques differ.

INTRODUCTION

When we speak of mitochondria, anyone with knowledge of life science could tell you of its presence in animal cells and absence in plant cells. However, it should not be forgotten that another kingdom shares this cellular powerhouse - kingdom fungi.

Commercially available affinity purification supports are designed on the principle of specific surface interactions among biomolecules, including, but not limiting to, antigen-antibody, enzyme-ligand and lectin-carbohydate. Affinity chromatography is one of the most efficient tools used for purification of biomolecules of interest, including proteins, glycoproteins, lipids and nucleic acids. In affinity chromatography, one of the interacting molecules is covalently bound to the resin and is addressed as a ligand. The stationary ligand bound resin interacts with the ligand interacting proteins or biomolecules, which are passed through the resin in mobile phase and hold them to the resin. These molecules are later eluted as a purified fraction with an elution buffer.